[Hepatic haemorrhage in pregnancy: a case report]. / Emorragia epatica in gravidanza: caso clinico.

Spontaneous hepatic haemorrhage in pregnancy (SHHP) is a rare event (1 woman out of 15,000). It is generally considered as an advanced state of the microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (HELLP, Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzyme levels, Low Platelet count). Furthermore, the HELLP is considered as a different form of preeclampsia. The patient, a 33-year-old-woman at 30 weeks' gestation, was admitted to hospital for preeclampsia, underwent an emergency Stark caesarean section with the extraction of an alive foetus and evidence of massive intraperitonal haemorrhage from a large hepatic haematoma. A haemostasis with gauzes of Surgicel was performed, with consequent arrest of the haemorrhage. After approximately 6 hours, a recurrence of the intraperitonal haemorrhage led to a new surgical intervention with hepatic packing with gauzes. After 4 days the patient died. The etiopathogenesis of disease is uncertain, both foetal and maternal mortality are high, and the slight number of reported cases (27) of SPPH from HELLP in international literature offer elements for debate. The following points have been put forward: 1. the monitoring of the counts of the platelets represent the only valid predictive test of HELLP. These concerned women in the third trimester of pregnancy, especially those with a history of preeclampsia; 2. the treatment must be immediate, intensive and multidisciplinary, the plasmapheresis has remarkably improved the prognosis; 3. surgical treatment performed in order to control the SPPH makes use of packing, embolization and/or fastening of the common hepatic artery and, in extreme cases, total hepatectomy with transplantation. The Authors believe it is useful to suggest a national epidemiological research in order to estimate the real incidence of the syndrome in Italy and to establish the guidelines for the medico-surgical treatment.

[The meshes of polypropylene in emergency surgery for strangulated hernias and incisional hernias]. / La protesi di polipropilene in chirurgia d'urgenza per laparoceli ed ernie strozzate.

INTRODUCTION: The Authors present their experience on the use of meshes of polypropylene in septic surgery of the abdominal wall defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 1999 to October 2003, 23 patients underwent intestinal resection (20 small intestine, 3 large intestine) for ischemic necrosis strangulation caused by defects in the abdominal wall (inguinal hernia 8, crural hernia 4, umbilical hernia 3, post-incisional hernia under umbilicus 3, post-incisional hernia epigastric 3, giant post-incisional hernia 2). RESULTS: No patient died and the removal of the mesh was never required in cases of infection of the surgical wound; 2 surgical wounds festered, with the reopening of the cutaneous wound and showing of the prosthesis, 5 hygromas were all treated in a conservative way. DISCUSSION: The macroporous structure of the meshes of polypropylene, with pores of diameter larger than 70 microns, allows contact among the bacteria, which measure one micron in diameter, and the cells of the immune system, granulocytes and macrophages, with a diameter of 15-20 microns, allowing the recovery from infections, and determining an high resistance rate to infections. CONCLUSIONS: Polypropylene prostheses, thanks to their macroporous structure, are sufficiently resistant to infections and therefore may be safely used in the surgery of the defects of the abdominal wall, when, following ischemic necrosis, an intestinal resection is necessary.